Tell Me More on WAMC HD2

This week in the Barbershop, the guys talk about the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. A gunman opened fire in a Colorado theater in which the film was being shown. Host Michel Martin checks in with writer Jimi Izrael; civil rights attorney Arsalan Iftikhar; columnist Jeff Yang and film critic Wesley Morris.

Many cities around the country are faced with growing costs and shrinking revenue. Despite making sweeping cuts, Stockton, California recently became the largest city to file for bankruptcy. Host Michel Martin talks with Stockton Mayor Ann Johnston about how she's managing a city that's operating in the red.

Christian missionaries devote time, energy and billions of dollars to helping African children orphaned by the AIDS epidemic. But sometimes well-meaning efforts can do more harm than good. In this week's Faith Matters conversation, host Michel Martin speaks to writer and journalist John Donnelly about his new book, A Twist of Faith: An American Christian's Quest to Help Orphans in Africa.

Asian-Americans are a rapidly growing population in the United States, and a new report finds the majority are not Christian. According to the Pew Research Center, half of Asian-Americans are either Hindu, Buddhist, or not affiliated with any religion. Continuing Tell Me More's conversation on faith, host Michel Martin speaks with Pew senior researcher Cary Funk about some of the surprising statistics she found in the study.

The Syrian conflict has been declared a civil war by the Red Cross and violence continues with no end in sight. Many civilians have been forced to leave Syria for neighboring countries. Tell Me More brings the story of one man who is living in a Turkish refugee camp with his family and host Michel Martin discusses whether the conflict has reached a turning point with Al Jazeera International's Abderrahim Foukara.

More than 200,000 Americans who carry HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, are unaware of their status. That's according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has now started a program that offers rapid testing at drug stores and pharmacies. Host Michel Martin discusses the program with Dr. Kevin Fenton, the Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the CDC.

Transcript

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. We're continuing our series called Make Me Laugh. All summer long we're talking to some of the country's most popular entertainers, who have brought their unique comedy styles to film, television and standup.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's tenure at Bain Capital and his refusal to release more extensive tax records continue to dog his campaign. Host Michel Martin takes up these topics and other political news of the week with Republican strategist Ron Christie and Joy-Ann Reid, managing editor of The Grio.com.

Elaine Chao made history when she became the first Asian American woman appointed to a U.S. president's cabinet. She served as Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush, and before that directed the Peace Corps. But making her mark on the U.S. was not easy. As a child, she spent 37 days traveling by boat to get from Taiwan to America. Elaine Chao talks about her journey and her career with host Michel Martin.

President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are dominating the airwaves, but they aren't the only people running for president. Dr. Jill Stein is running as the Green Party nominee. She started her career as a medical doctor and is now campaigning on issues like the economy, education and health care. Host Michel Martin speaks with Stein about her "Green New Deal" and why she says choosing a third party is anything but a wasted vote.